A defendant who kidnapped a minor and had sex with her on a matching app showed “remorse” in court.

Video of him having sexual intercourse with a girl from his phone…

‘I’d take time off work if I could play with a 13-year-old’

The 39-year-old man sent this message to a junior high school girl, A (13 years old at the time of the incident), whom he met on a matching app, and invited her to go for a drive.

The 39-year-old sent messages to Ms. A, a junior high school girl (13 years old at the time of the incident) whom he met on a matching app, inviting her to go for a drive with him. The case came to light when Ms. A’s father noticed something unusual after checking her location. After that, Mr. A was taken into custody by his father and others. On May 28, ’25, Saitama Prefectural Police arrested the defendant Suzuki on suspicion of kidnapping a minor. The defendant Suzuki admitted the charge, saying, ‘I liked younger girls and wanted to play with them.

Later, two video clips of the defendant having sexual intercourse with another junior high school student, B (13 years old at the time of the incident), were found on the defendant’s smartphone, and on July 16, the Saitama Prefectural Police re-arrested the defendant on suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse, etc.” (Reporter, National Newspaper, Social Affairs Department)

On October 21, the first trial of the defendant Suzuki was held at Saitama District Court, and the trial was concluded on the same day. Suzuki was charged with four counts of kidnapping a minor, non-consensual sexual intercourse, photographing sexual acts, and violation of the Child Pornography Law.

The indictment and opening statement read by the prosecutor revealed that the defendant Suzuki committed the following despicable crimes.

From around 2008 at the latest, the defendant began using Internet bulletin boards and matching apps to contact an unspecified number of women, including underage women, for driving, sexual intercourse, etc.

In early April 2013, knowing that Ms. A, whom he met on a matching app, was a 13-year-old minor at the time, he decided to kidnap her and said to her in a LINE message, “I have a friend who is a junior high school student, but it seems fun to spend money and play, drive, and do those things, so let’s play for real, Ms. A (laugh). The next day, the defendant drove a car driven by himself.

The next day, the defendant put Ms. A in a car driven by himself, took her away without her custodian’s permission, and took her around Saitama Prefecture under his control from around midnight to around 4 p.m., and then drove her to the station designated by Ms. A.

In late April, knowing that Ms. B, whom he had met through a matching app and kept in touch with, was a junior high school student, the defendant had sexual intercourse with her in a rented car parked in a multi-level parking lot in Chiba Prefecture. In late May, the defendant called Ms. B again and had sexual intercourse with her in a rented car parked in a multi-level parking lot, and filmed and saved the scene with his smartphone.

Parents’ Anger Spelled Out in Depositions

The indictment and opening statements also describe how Ms. A’s parents noticed something was wrong with their daughter and immediately began to take action.

Ms. A’s mother received a message from Ms. A on LINE saying, ‘I’m going to play with my friend. However, when she checked the location information on Ms. A’s phone, she found that she was following an unnatural travel route in Saitama Prefecture, and she suspected that her daughter was meeting an adult male and driving around in a car.

So Ms. A’s father called the police; Ms. A’s father and mother followed the location of the phone and began a search for her. Subsequently, his father found Mr. A. alone in the park.”

In the statements of the parents of Mr. A and Ms. B read by the prosecutor, both expressed strong feelings of punishment toward Suzuki.

As a parent, I am angry that an adult male took my child, who does not know anything about society, around. I cannot forgive the culprit” (Ms. A’s mother).

I cannot forgive the man who sexually assaulted my daughter, a junior high school student. I am deeply shocked that she has been victimized in this way. Even if the culprit goes to jail, this anger and shock will not disappear” (Ms. B’s mother).

Defendant Suzuki admitted his guilt , saying, “There is no doubt about it. During the defendant’s questioning on the day of the trial, in response to a question from the defense attorney, he expressed his remorse , saying, “I had a very bad influence on the girl, who is still too young to make proper judgments, on the trust between her family and her future.

When asked by the prosecutor whether she feltno resistance to having sexual intercoursewith a minor, she replied , “At the time, I did not feel any resistance to having sexual intercourse with a junior high school student,” and promised to attend a specialized hospital in the future.

The defendant was remorseful and apologized…

Argumentative arguments continued.

The prosecutor pointed out that the defendant ” committed a despicable crime that disregarded the character of the victims,” and requested a sentence of ” 6 years in prison” onthe grounds that “it is clear that the defendant’s sense of normality has become blunted, and there is a great fear that he will commit a second crime.

On the other hand, the defense attorney argued that the defendant “did not assault or threaten any of the victims, used contraceptives when he had sexual intercourse with B, and stated that the defendant’s mother would live with him and monitor and manage his life, and that he is in a rehabilitation environment. He stated, “I ask for a lenient sentence.”

In his final statement, Suzuki took the stand and sobbed and sobbed.

First of all, I am truly sorry to Mr. A, Mr. B, and their families for what I have caused. From now on, I would like to regain the trust of the people around me. I will make sure that this will never happen again.”

Mr. Suzuki entered the courtroom wearing a gray top and bottom sweatshirt and his long hair pulled back in a bun. During the trial, he sometimes covered his face with his hands and shed tears, as if he regretted his crime. At the same time, however, he did not offer to pay for the damage, nor did he consider writing a letter of apology to the victims or their guardians.

Having met a number of minors through matching apps and other means over a period of more than five years, did he not realize until this incident occurred that he could be charged with a crime if he lured minors without their guardians’ consent?

The verdict is scheduled to be handed down on November 10.

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